No. 4 Syracuse routs Canisius

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Syracuse, NY (Sports Network) - James Southerland scored 16 of his 21 points
in the second half as fourth-ranked Syracuse moved one step closer to
achieving another major milestone for Jim Boeheim with Saturday's 85-61 win
over Canisius at the Carrier Dome.

Brandon Triche added 19 points for the unbeaten Orange (9-0) and Michael
Carter-Williams tallied 12 points and 14 assists in the victory, the 899th of
Boeheim's career. The longtime head coach will attempt to join Mike Krzyzewski
and Bob Knight as the only men to reach the 900-win mark when Syracuse hosts
Detroit on Monday.

The Orange also extended their non-conference winning streak to 51 straight
regular-season contests by shooting a torrid 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from 3-
point range and 54.8 percent overall. Southerland made 9-of-14 attempts from
the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, with Triche making 2-of-3 tries from
long distance as part of a 7-of-11 night.

"I thought our guards controlled the game getting in the lane making plays,"
said Boeheim. "I thought that was the difference, and our defense was good
overall."

Billy Baron and Isaac Sosa each netted 15 points for Canisius (6-2), which
entered the Carrier Dome off to its best 7-game start since 1973-74 and riding
a string of three consecutive wins.

The Griffins hung tough during a tightly contested first half in which
Syracuse held a slim 35-32 edge, but the Orange dominated their overmatched
foe after the break to keep their perfect mark intact.

Southerland registered five points to spark a 10-1 Orange run to begin the
period, and the margin swelled to 15 shortly afterward when Triche buried a
triple to put Syracuse up 50-35 just over five minutes into the second half.

Canisius would get to within 12 points on three occasions, the last coming
when Sosa knocked down a long-range bucket with 4:17 to go that trimmed the
Griffins' deficit to 69-57. Syracuse responded with a 9-0 spurt in which
Carter-Williams assisted on all four baskets, however, to put the contest out
of reach.

"We were able to close out better in the second half, unlike the first, and
our wings played a little bit better too because a lot of times (Canisius)
would bring guys to the corners and we were able to bump the wings down," said
Triche. "As a whole I think me and Michael did a lot better. We gave up the
middle more, but it helped on our end."

The Orange built a 23-14 advantage just past the midway mark of the first half
on the strength of an 8-0 stretch, and the lead was seven with under six
minutes left until intermission before Canisius ripped off nine consecutive
points to forge ahead.

Josiah Heath's 3-point play with 2:23 remaining in the half sent the Griffins
briefly in front by a 32-30 count, but Triche's driving layup just prior to
the buzzer ended a 5-0 burst that placed Syracuse back on top at the break.

Game Notes

The game was the first for both teams in this year's Gotham Classic, a round-
robin event between five programs that will take place through Dec. 30.
Temple, Alcorn State and Detroit are also participating ... Syracuse has now
won 29 consecutive home games and has bested Canisius 21 straight times, with
the Griffins' last triumph in the series coming on Feb. 15, 1975 ... The
Orange prevailed despite making just 50 percent (9-of-18) of their free throws
on the evening ... Carter-Williams dished out a career-high 16 assists in
Syracuse's 108-56 win over Monmouth last Saturday.